13Aug 2015 by David Kravetz

Washington State: A Day in Seattle

Airlines, Birds, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, City Skylines, Eateries, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Geologic Formations, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, People Shots, Roadside Attractions, Seagulls, Selfies, Street Art, Street Musicians, Street People, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Vintage Neon, Washington
[caption id="attachment_13771" align="alignleft" width="300"] Flying to Seattle[/caption] After a long day of travel to Washington via Delta Airlines, first to Salt Lake City and then into Seattle-Tacoma Airport, and then a good nights rest, we had the opportunity to spend a day in Seattle with the family. [caption id="attachment_13773" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Getting on the Foot Ferry in Port Orchard[/caption] [caption id="attachment_13769" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Kitsap Foot Ferry in Port Orchard[/caption] Bremerton Ferry [caption id="attachment_13767" align="alignright" width="300"] Riding the Hyak from Bremerton Terminal[/caption] Since my daughter Amaree and her family live in Port Orchard, we had to take ferries across the Puget Sound to get to Seattle. We started with the Port Orchard Foot Ferry Service that took us from Port Orchard into Bremerton. Then we got on the Bremerton Ferry which…
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08Aug 2015 by David Kravetz

Washington State: A Week of Travel and Variety

BBQ Places, Birds, City Skylines, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Graffiti Walls, Murals, Mythical Creatures, National Parks, Roadside Attractions, Seagulls, Selfies, States and Provinces, Street Art, Travel with grandchildren, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Wall Art, Washington, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_13662" align="aligncenter" width="474"] A Wide View of Mt. Rainier[/caption] [caption id="attachment_13657" align="aligncenter" width="474"] The family getting ready to head to Seattle on Day 1 of our visit. We made the T-shirts ourselves[/caption] [caption id="attachment_13623" align="alignright" width="225"] Julianne and David at the Beach in Washington[/caption] After our beautiful vacation and stay at the Borneo lodge which you can find on borneoecotours.com/borneo-rainforest-lodge, my wife and I had the opportunity to fly to Seattle at the end of July for a nice week (actually 9 days) of fun with our family out there.  Over the next couple of weeks I will have a few posts about our adventures, but wanted to provide a brief preview of what we experienced: Beaches, Mountains, Sights, Sounds, Eats and Quirky fun!! [caption id="attachment_13643" align="aligncenter" width="474"] The…
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02Jul 2015 by David Kravetz

Ten Really Obscure Quirky Places You May Have Never Heard Of

#TBT, Alberta, Backroads Discoveries, Cross Country Road Trips, Dream Highways, Family Travel, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Illinois, Michigan, Murals, Mythical Creatures, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Roadside Attractions, Tennessee, Throwback Thursday, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_5742" align="alignleft" width="300"] Cadillac Ranch - Amarillo, Texas[/caption] Over the years I have traveled tens of thousands of miles of back roads across the United States (only missing Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont...they will be hit soon!).  Through all of these travels I have seen the many "famous" unique and quirky tourist spots like Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX (the one with all the Cadillacs in the ground), the giant Paul Bunyan and Blue Ox in Bemidji, MN, the Enchanted Highway in ND or the competing Eiffel Towers in Paris, TX and Paris, TN. [caption id="attachment_8772" align="alignright" width="300"] Paul Bunyan and Babe in Bemidji, MN[/caption] Among the 100s of places I have been, there are a few that really stand out to me and I would consider as future…
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04Jun 2015 by David Kravetz

Going to California: Real Goods Solar in Hopland, CA

Backroads Discoveries, California, Car Art, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Large Statues, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Yard Art
[caption width="225" id="attachment_12961" align="alignleft"] Welcome to Real Goods[/caption]As I mentioned in my previous post, along the way to Red Bluff and Woodflock, we made a stop at Real Goods in Hopland, CA.  The place was so unique and fun that it deserved its own special blog post. The Real Goods Store got its start in 1978 with a focus on solar equipment. According to their website, the store was originally envisioned as a one-stop-shop where people could find everything they needed for their remote homesteads. The store began with the sale of the first retail solar panel in the United States and the humble goal of changing the world. [caption width="300" id="attachment_12951" align="alignright"] Setting up solar water heater on Hopi Reservation in 1990[/caption]This is of particular interest to me as…
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30May 2015 by David Kravetz

Going to California: Santa Rosa – Ukiah – Red Bluff

Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, Bucket List Trips, California, Cross Country Road Trips, Found Metal Sculptures, Giant Things, Landscapes, Large Statues, Murals, Mythical Creatures, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Selfies, Street Art, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Places, US Highway 101, Yard Art
[caption id="attachment_12844" align="alignleft" width="300"] Goofing around at Carla's house with her pink flamingo hat and a few Antsy McClain posters[/caption] Day 2 of my Woodflock trip started off nice and slow.  No hurry so I was able to sleep in over at Carla's doublewide in Santa Rosa.  Woke up to a beautiful morning in the trailer park. Soon, Carla and I were on the road heading north.  She decided to go through Ukiah for a more scenic route (and likely to appeal to my wanderlust!) [caption id="attachment_12832" align="alignright" width="225"] In good hands with Carla!! Standing with Agraria by Larry Kirkland[/caption] Santa Rosa is home to a couple of quirky roadside attractions, so we stopped at these on our way out of town.  The first of them was a big hand…
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07May 2015 by David Kravetz

#TBT – Visiting Erie Canal, JELL-O Museum, Bethlehem, Nicholson Bridge

#TBT, Antsy McClain, Backroads Discoveries, Bridges, Bucket List Trips, Cross Country Road Trips, Farmland, Found Metal Sculptures, Ghost Signs, Giant Things, New York, Pennsylvania, People Shots, Place Names, Roadside Attractions, Throwback Thursday, Train Bridges, Travel Blogging, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Wildflowers
(Author's note: This post is another in my Throwback Thursday series.  Taken from August 2008 on a visit to Bethlehem for the Music Festival to join Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours.  I also visited a number of other sites. At the time I was still working in Woodstock, Ontario) August 1, 2008: Instead of heading back to Kentucky for the weekend, I had the opportunity to go to Bethlehem, PA and join Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours for their two performances at the 2008 Bethlehem MusikFest.  I decided to make a weekend of it and visit more places along the way that I had yet to get to.  It would be a fun weekend indeed!! I headed out early and headed southeast towards Buffalo.  My adventures…
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16Apr 2015 by David Kravetz

#TBT – Scenes from Cleveland

#TBT, Backroads Discoveries, Bakeries, Bridges, City Skylines, Cross Country Road Trips, Family Travel, Giant Things, Large Statues, Ohio, Place Names, Random Thoughts, Roadside Attractions, Throwback Thursday, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Houses, Unique Places, Vintage Neon
[caption width="500" id="attachment_12704" align="aligncenter"] Murray Hill Rd...my birthplace[/caption] [caption width="500" id="attachment_12713" align="aligncenter"] The old house in Murray Hill...my first residence[/caption] A few years ago I made a couple of visits to Cleveland, Ohio.  I was born in the Little Italy section of Cleveland in 1956 and have sisters and brothers there.  The old house I was born in is still there as well. For my Throwback Thursday, I thought I would add a few Cleveland photos for fun. [caption width="333" id="attachment_12707" align="aligncenter"] The Old House around 2009.[/caption] [caption width="333" id="attachment_12706" align="aligncenter"] The old house is now a storefront for the Murray Hill Market. This is the reflection of the address on the old tile floor[/caption] Little Italy is a wonderful part of town...great eateries, old churches, brick roads (including Murray…
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28Feb 2015 by David Kravetz

Fiberglass Giants Part II: Giant Cows, Pink Elephants and More

Backroads Discoveries, Canada, Cross Country Road Trips, Giant Things, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Large Statues, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Roadside Attractions, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Around the country one can find a number of fun and large Fiberglass Giants. Though most of what I touch on in this post is fiberglass, I do mention so HUGE giants made of other materials due to their fame and as a comparison to the sizes. [caption id="attachment_12437" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Salem Sue - New Salem, ND[/caption] GIANT COWS AND BULLS The fiberglass giant makers have had fun over the years as they have created some real huge and udderly mooooving creations.  The giant shown above Salem Sue, the World's Largest Holstein Cow.  This monstrous mooer was built in 1974 at the cost of $40,000.  The project was sponsored by the New Salem Lions Club in honor of the local dairy farming industry. The statue stands 38 feet high and…
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15Feb 2015 by David Kravetz

Fiberglass Giants Part I – The Muffler Men and Such

Backroads Discoveries, Big John, Giant Things, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Large Statues, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Muffler Man, New Mexico, Oregon, Roadside Attractions, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Unexpected Discoveries, Unique Eatery, Unique Places, Uniroyal Gal, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Let's face it, Americans love those quirky roadside attractions!  We all know it and its time to admit it. As far back as the 1930s they have been around.  But it was the 1960s and 1970s that really got the roadside things going as people traveled Route 66 and other US Highways.  The quirky and offbeat were the drawing cards...the highways were our Disneylands! Remnants of those days still hang around even as some artsy companies keep pushing them out to roadside restaurants, garages and filling stations. [caption id="attachment_12522" align="aligncenter" width="280"] The Old Muffler Man - (photo courtesy Roadside America - used with permission) This one known as the Joor Muffler Man in Escondido, CA[/caption] One of the most iconic of the roadside tchotchkes were the Muffler Men, those roadside…
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